The present invention relates to a device and method for forming an athletic foot support that may be used in such equipment as, among other things, ski boots, skates, bike shoes and the like. More specifically, the present invention concerns a device and method that produces an insert or foot support that positions the ankle joint in a relaxed position by correcting the pronation of the foot.
This invention provides a device and method that corrects the pronation of the foot, a condition where the foot collapses to the medial or inside of the foot, and how this affects athletic ability. The degree of pronation is evaluated for each foot independently of the other. The end result provides an equal amount of pronation to occur in each foot by building a corrective mold of the foot, or a xe2x80x9cFoot Foundationxe2x80x9d. Being that most individual""s feet have individual needs, it is critical to evaluate each foot separately. This is important to many athletic activities that demand the athlete to move symmetricallyxe2x80x94for instance, skiing, skating, and any other laterally-oriented sport. The term xe2x80x9cthe Foot Foundationxe2x80x9d like a house, provides a solid level object for the house to sit upon. The foot bed is the foundation for the muscular-skeletal system to sit upon and work most efficiently since the foot is a complex joint. Not only does it support enormous amounts of weight, but it is the primary joint for balancing. The present invention is a process and device that takes both of these factors into consideration. The foot must be able to support the weight of the body plus the added weight of G forces, especially in skiing. While supporting large loads, it must also be able to make fine-tuning movements while skiing. Understanding the demands of skiing specifically was the thrust behind the invention. The physics of the sport require that the skier balance on top of a frictionless surface while moving dynamically from one foot to the other. Symmetric movement is important in the creation of a seamless move from one side to the other with rhythmic flow. If the ankle joint is predisposed with nonfunctional tension, the ability to move freely will be jeopardized. The fine muscular movements of the foot and ankle dictate the degree of success in the rest of the biomechanical chain. This is, to a large extent, the cause of tension or an imbalanced interaction in the chain.
To achieve the proper pronation of the ankle joint, how the foot is designed to support weight, and walk must be understood, or what is commonly referred to as a dynamic gate. The phases of the dynamic gate are heel strike, mid range, and toe off.
In the heel strike, the calcaneus hits the ground usually to the lateral side of the foot. Then the hips move forward and the weight moves to the outer three metatarsals to support lateral balance. This is known as the midrange. Then, the foot naturally pronates to one degree or another to allow the weight to move to the medial side of the foot or the two strong toes. Then, as the hips pass in front of the foot, the large strong toes will push off. This is the understanding of the dynamics of the foot in a stride.
In skiing, because the equipment limits the range of motion, there is no stride, there is only lateral movementxe2x80x94basically, stuck in the midrange mode. It is however a dynamic stance, because the foot moves laterally to create balance while the body is in motion. This is the difference between what the present invention achieves and what many others do in this field. All other alignment processes implement a two-footed stance to determine the position of neutrality. This is done by aligning the center of the knee in relation to the center of support. This is done while standing on two feet or in a static state. If a person is standing on two feet, you then have to look at the base of support as being an eight piece balancing system. In this situation, the person may be maintaining balance equally in all eight quadrants or in one of the eight quadrants and using two others to maintain a steady or xe2x80x9cstaticxe2x80x9d balance.
If you reduce the base of support to only one foot, you have a four-sided base which needs to articulate to maintain balance or balance dynamically. The present invention achieves this state by first analyzing the ankle joint to determine correct foot alignment. The balance analyser and the foot level control quality and assure accuracy of the foot foundation used in the insert. Typically, the optimal outcome should be to limit the amount of pronation in the ankle to approximately two degrees. The application of this type of process to foot beds will increase the amount of relatedness in the foot and ankle joint. The subsequent outcome will be more athleticism in the user. The position of the foot will provide an ability for the user to move the foot laterally and with a great deal of agility.